March 27, 2014

Thought you might like to see a video of Finn playing with one of his toys.  He is finally feeling strong enough to show some interest in the world around him!

The music you hear in the background is from a CD created just for cats.  The music is calming and repetitive and Finn does seem to enjoy it.  He perks up when we turn it on and makes little happy noises.

March 25, 2014

Over the weekend someone brought a very low cat condo into the shelter.  I thought that Finn might like something different, so I brought it home and put it in his room.  He sniffed at it, but did seem curious.  Today I placed him on the top. He purred loudly and felt around with his front feet.  I helped him climb down.  In a few minutes I put him back on top again. He settled down for a few minutes, then climbed down with great confidence.  Taking that first step required some courage!  

He was exhausted and curled up for a little nap.

Life has been pretty quiet with Finn for the last few weeks.  He is eating, resting and getting stronger.  He is also getting more vocal and often expresses his concern when he is unsure of what is happening around him.  I met a vet who has much experience with special needs cats.  I shared with her the problem I was having with all litters.  Because Finn sometimes has to sit down when he uses the box, he would often have pieces of litter stuck to his side.  This would happen even with "non-tracking" litter.  She recommended a special system that uses solid litter pellets and puppy pads in a tray below the box.  This system works great for Finn and he took to it right away. Keeping himself neat and clean is now much easier!  Finn is finally starting to fill out around his shoulder area.  We are hoping he will soon be strong enough for his surgery and visit to the eye doctor.  Then he will be ready to go to his forever home.

March 7,2014

This has been an exciting week for Finn.  He is getting stronger every day and also starting to be more vocal.  He got to meet Ginger, our calico, last Friday.  Ginger is a very mellow and tentative girl with a very gentle demeanor.  We let her come in to Finn's room and she headed right for his food dish.  Finn knew she was there because he was sniffing and moving his head to figure out where she was.  He finally realized she was right near his bed and eating his food.  He apparently had no objection to sharing his food and just settled down in his bed while she ate.  As you can see, Ginger has an unusual limb deformity on her right rear leg.  This doesn't slow her down at all.  She climbs, jumps, and has been known to catch an occasional mouse in our basement.  We will let Finn meet Ginger's brother, Fred, soon.  Fred has deformed front legs - missing some bones and others are bent.  Like Ginger, Fred doesn't know that he is handicapped.  I suspect that Finn doesn't know he is a blind cat with deformed limbs.  He only knows that he is a cat!

Finn is using his litter box without any accidents and is starting to groom himself regularly.  This morning he spent quite a lot of time washing and getting ready for the day.  When he first came to us, he had no strength for anything beyond eating and sleeping.  I would pick him up and put him in the litter box and then put him near his food and water.  Now he is navigating on his own and there is a noticeable improvement in his walking.  Before he was creeping along the floor and now he is standing tall and strong (for Finn).

In just a few weeks, he should be strong enough for his surgery.  Shortly after that, he should be ready for adoption.  As much as we love him, we want him to have the best home.  We already have a possible adopter who seems perfect for Finn's needs.

Thanks for your interest in Finn.  Keep watching for updates as his chronicles continue.